(More than) Fourinarow.net

This is what?  Day 4?  Or 40?  Of no TV.  The kids have still not cleaned up the basement.  I got so tired of it, I caved and cleaned it myself.  But, since the kids didn’t, the TV remains dormant.

Truthfully, it hasn’t been all bad.  The kids, remarkably, have found other things to do.  Even Maria!

On Saturday, we headed over to Lisle for the Eyes to the Skies hot air balloon festival.  In the rain.  Of course, it was just misting when we left the house, drizzling slightly when we arrived and pretty much raining when we caved in and left.  Without seeing a single balloon.  (Except for the type you tie to your wrist).  I guess we went at the wrong time, as after reading the brochure we received while paying for admission, it was clear that the balloons were to be seen very early in the day or late in the evening.  Whatever.

We did manage to entertain ourselves with junk food, kettle corn, face painting and hair styling.  And to their credit, the kids really didn’t complain until the VERY LONG WALK back to the car.  (Insert sarcasm, please).

Maria’s hair was cute and they did it for free to promote business at Sweet and Sassy. (Shoot me, please, if I ever blog that my daughter is having a party there – I mean, hundreds of dollars to play dress up?  Limo rides for little kids?)

Princess Hair

The only balloons we saw - in hand and on face.

On Sunday, we lazed around, ate so many snow cones we broke the machine (and were able to return it for a new one – gotta LOVE Target!) and grilled beer can chickens on Dan’s super cool new birthday-present-from-the-in-laws gas grill.  (Mom and Dad, you rock!!)

Later in the evening, after The Little Boys were tucked into bed, Dan, Maria, Jack and I bottled beer.  And spilled beer.  And broke some beer bottles.  And drank some beer (only Dan and me!).  Here are some pics of the bottling process and the mess my kitchen was afterward.  It was fun, though, and it goes much faster with child labor.  (They actually think sterilizing bottles is fun.)

Cleaning bottles.

Bottling beer

Two weeks before these babies can be opened.

Today, with a still-silent TV, the kids are eating a lot of snacks, making a new, bigger mess of the basement and building forts with furniture parts and every sheet, blanket, quilt and pillow possible.  (All of which, of course, will have to be laundered.  By me.)

How much more fun can we take?